Christina Thaylor
by dkerr
Summary: A repost rewritten an upset Xander and a new witch
1. Default Chapter

Title" Christina Thaylor  
  
Disclaimer: All recognizable characters and setting belong to Joss Whedon and UPN etc.  
  
Author's Note: I wasn't satisfied with the direction of "The Adventures of Christina and  
Xander." So I'm rewriting and reposting it. Hopefully I won't hit a brick wall before it is  
finished.  
  
Feedback the good the bad the ugly, always appreciated, never mandatory  
  
Xander sprawled on the couch in the back of the Magic Box, waiting for Anya to finish  
the daily cash count, and generally everything was all right with his life, when the door opened.   
It sounded like the little bell had been snapped off its string, and he had barely enough time to  
get his feet on the floor before an enraged Willow stormed into the room.  
  
"What's the what, Will?"  
  
Willow, jerked around, seeing him for the first time. Turning away from him, she pulled  
at small leather bag from her pocket and flung it on the table, before powering up the computer.   
Xander picked up the bag, and fingered it, seeing the tiny markings on it.  
  
"Please, Xander," Willow snatched it from him. "I need to find out what it is."  
  
"It's a gris-gris."  
  
"I know what it is," Willow turned to the computer, fingers flying over the keyboard. "I  
need to know what it does, and how to counteract it."  
  
"Now why do you suppose some one would send a gris-gris to a witch," Xander mused  
aloud, getting an angry glare from Willow. Xander sat back down on the couch, not sure that he  
was liking the way his mind was working. For one thing, Willow was actually hacking, surfing  
the net, not using mojo to help her along. Which was leading to all sorts of ideas hopping  
through his mind. "A little low on the magic Will?"  
  
"If you must know, I don't have much magic to be low on, or any at all." Willow turned  
to Xander with an exaggerated sigh. "This gris-gris took it away, and I've got to find away to get  
back, because otherwise I'm...I'm..."  
  
Normal," Xander finished for her. "And that would be bad because?"  
  
"No," Willow yelled at him. "That's not what I meant at all, and you know me better  
than that." That was the trouble, Xander did know her and had seen the changes in her. "And  
you're not helping, distracting me. Why don't you go see if your demon-lover is finished."  
  
"Fine," Xander snapped at her. She was almost instantly sorry she said that, but was too  
wrapped up in her own problems to care, much. "Don't forget to lock up on your way out."  
  
"Ready t go," Xander demanded stomping out of the back room. "She can lock up when  
she goes."  
  
"You're not staying?" Anya looked confused. "We always help."  
  
"Help with what?"   
  
They turned to see Buffy standing just inside the open door.  
  
"Willow's mojo has been lost, or stuck, or something, and she's desperately afraid of  
being like the rest of us mere mortals."  
  
"So you're bailing on her. Come on Xander, that's not like you."  
  
"She made it pretty clear that I was in the way, and that I should go be with my Demon  
Lover,"  
  
Buffy stared. She was pretty sure tat Willow would never say anything like that, and if  
she did, she was too disturbed by something to really mean what she said. Then again, she had  
never seen Xander so upset, but before she could ask more, Xander brushed past her and out of  
the store.  
  
  
  
  
Buffy entered the back room to see Willow concentrating on the computer before her,  
often glancing at the bag on the table beside her and the screen.  
  
"Hey," Buffy wondered over to that table and picked up the bag. "Xander said that  
something happened to you power. This have anything to do with that?"  
  
"Yeah," Willow looked up, her eyes wide and doe like. "It came in the mail this  
afternoon, and ever since then I, well, haven't been able to do anything."  
  
"So what are you going to do about it?"  
  
"I thought I'd look up the sygils, which shape the spells, but I can't find anything."   
Willows eyes shone. "Oh Buffy, what if I can't get them back. What am I gonna do?"  
  
"You'll get them back," said Buffy with more confidence than she really felt. "You keep  
looking, and I'll round up Xander and we'll see what we can dig up."  
  
  
  
As soon as he got home, Xander stormed into the hall walk-in, through a side panel and  
into a cubby hole office he had built into an empty crawl space. While not much, barely more  
than a rickety card table supporting an ancient Macintosh Plus system, a small pone, a dented  
metal chair, it still served the purpose.  
  
"Hey Chuck," he said into the phone to one of the people he worked with at the site.   
'You keep pretty much on top of comings and goings. You ever hear of anyone coming here,  
from, say Africa, Haiti, New Orleans, places that practice vodoun."  
  
"Vodoun?" Xander could almost see Charles scratching at what's left of his hair. "Can't  
say that I do, but Johnny says there's a new girl in his class. She's got sort of a dark complexion,  
will that do? Planning on joining the clan?"  
  
"Nah, just curious. Got a friend who's interested in that sort of thing, you know, the  
voodoo part. Thought maybe I'd help out."  
  
"Oh, that's it, see old Pete down by the docks. He knows all about that kind of stuff."  
  
"Okay, great, I'll do that first thing tomorrow, uh, after work."  
  
Chuck chuckled. "Bring something, he likes treats. Especially liquid ones."  
  
Xander returned the chuckle, hung up, and fired up the computer. He was still at it half  
an hour later, when the doorbell rang and Anya's voice shouted through the thin walls.  
  
"Xander it's Buffy."  
  
"Great, he thought. Just what I need.  
  
  
  
  
"Kind of late to go calling Buff," he said as he stepped out in the hallway. If Buffy  
wondered why he was in the closet, her eyes didn't give any indication. He did note the spark of  
anger, but he was too busy nursing his own to care. "Some big nasty in town, that you and  
Willow can't take care of without me."  
  
"Thought I'd give you a chance to explain to explain why you ran out on Willow."  
  
"She didn't want me there, remember."  
  
"No I don't remember. What I do remember is my best friend very upset, and her oldest  
friend bail." Buffy poked him in the chest hard. "You used to be her friend, remember."  
  
"Yeah Buffy, I do remember, only we're not so much friends any more, and if she  
doesn't want me around, considers me too much of a distraction, then the best thing I can do for  
her is to not be around."  
  
Buffy glared at him. "Fine if that's what you want." She turned and stalked out the door.  
  
It wasn't what he really wanted, and for a moment Xander considered running after her,  
but he couldn't see any way of coming out from under without smelling like three shades of  
jerkiness.  
  
  
  
The Sunnydale Docks, not a great place to be, not now. Especially not now, when the  
sun cast long deepening shadows. Xander found Old Pete sitting under the rotting hulk of Pier  
21, next to a ramshackle lean-to. Old Pete had taken a swig out of the bottle almost before  
Xander had given it to him.  
  
"You know Vodoun?"  
  
"Why, whassa you want to know for?"  
  
"A friend of mine received a voodoo charm, that she thinks did something to her. I just  
need to find some information, that's all. A gris-gris that stops her from using her magical  
powers."  
  
"The girl's a Witch?" Old Pete reared back on his haunches, the whites of his eyes  
showing.   
  
"Well," Xander wasn't quite ready to tell all, so he tried to choose his words carefully.   
"She think's she is, and this voodoo charm took away her powers, and she really believes that.  
So if I could tell her that there's no such thing, it would make her feel better."  
  
"Oh it works, all right, just wondering what she got Old Pete into is all."  
  
"She?"  
  
"Yeah, new girl, dunno her name, came to me last week, said she knew I could help."   
Old Pete took another swig. "Sad there was this Witch, gonna make things bad for everyone.   
Showed up at the Bronze, that's this club you know, course you know. You look like someone  
as knows how to have fun. Anyway she mad a whole room full of people disappear, and then  
she brought them back again, only no one but she knew what had happened, then that same girl  
showed up at the joint again and weird things started happening. Told her she should keep her  
head low, keep out of it, but she said this witch could hurt a lot of people, and she had gotten  
close enough to see how the girl was having fun." Old Pete shook his head. "Girl said she had  
to do something, couldn't just keep her nose clean."  
  
"So you gave her the spell?"  
  
"Yeah, told her, she had to do it herself, cause I never seen the girl myself. Only know  
she has reddish hair and green eyes, named for a tree I think. Anyway, girl had to do it, I  
couldn't, don't do that anymore. Still wouldn't stop people suspecting Old Pete if they thought  
anything weird was going on."  
  
Willow, what are you doing? Xander hadn't anted to believe that his life long friend was  
capable, but Willow's odd behavior of late, plus Old Pete's somewhat blurrily delivered  
description sounded too close to comfort.  
  
"This girl, do you know where she is?"  
  
Old Pete's eyes snapped. "Ain't no grave robber. She came to me, not me to her.   
Young slip of a girl."  
  
'Uh thanks," Xander stood up, remembering what Chuck had said on the phone last  
night. "Enjoy the bottle."  
  
  
  
  
Some things in Sunnydale never changed, and the Bronze was still the hangout of choice,  
for both young and the still nearly young. Xander only hoped that this mysterious girl was there,  
and that Johnny, Chuck's son, was there to point her out, and, oh yeah, that no one thought him  
some sort of perve for talking to her.   
  
Johnny was there, and the offer of a free soda and fries, got the information that  
Christina, the new girl in his socials class, was sitting right over there, against the wall. All  
alone, because she was too good for ordinary males like him.  
  
  
  
  
"New here, eh." Xander sat at a table next to the girl, who, as Chuck had said, was rather  
dark skinned, though that could have been the lighting.  
  
"Yeah, so." That was delivered in the utmost "get away old bugger" tone that a sixteen  
year old could deliver.  
  
"Was talking to old Pete." Xander watched the girls face, and was rewarded with a flash  
of recognition, that was quickly wiped away. "Said you were doing the hoodoo with the  
voodoo."  
  
"Oh please," the girl rolled her eyes. Like I believe that stuff."  
  
"You put a hex on a friend of mine. See, she's a witch with powerful friends, and I gotta  
tell you, I'm surprised they haven't kicked your ass by now."  
  
"Maybe you should get better friends." The girl's eyes wandered to a point over  
Xander's right shoulder. "Oh sh....."  
  
Xander twisted to follow her gaze, and was less than surprised to see Buffy and Willow  
making their way towards him. He turned back to see that the girl had slipped away, and was no  
where to be seen.  
  
"Who's the girl," Buffy took a seat, and Willow sat at another.  
  
"Girl?"  
  
"Yeah, the one you were talking to?"  
  
"Just a girl," Xander shrugged. "I had nothing better to do, Anya's keeping the shop  
open late tonight, so I came to the Bronze. Oh and I talked to a girl, who is no longer here.   
Something wrong with that?"  
  
"Maybe," Willow said grimly. "If she had something to do with what happened to me  
and you knew and you didn't tell us."  
  
Xander considered is words, aware of two things, both of them were ganging up on him,  
and, from the look on the Slayer's face, this wasn't just a question and answer session but an  
interrogation. With him as the interrogatee.  
  
"You made it clear you didn't want my help, remember, telling me to go be with my  
Demon Lover, that ring any bells." He glared at Willow, he then turned to face Buffy. "I'm not  
the enemy Buff, though you seem determined to treat me as if I were. Also, if you think I was  
talking to the girl responsible for removing Willow's magic then there must be some reason  
why, which tells me you're not into full share mode either."  
  
"Xander," Buffy warned.  
  
"No, don't Xander me," Xander got to his feet. "Suddenly, I'm not too thrilled at being  
here. So I'm leaving."  
  
"Xander," Buffy hissed, "Sit down."  
  
"Or what, you'll stake me?" The two glared at each other, until Xander sighed and  
looked away. "I'm so out of here."  
  
  
  
  
Xander didn't cool off until he got out into the parking lot, and it didn't have anything to  
do with the cooling breeze coming in from the ocean. It had more to do with his not being able  
to stay mad at his two best buds, even though they were aggravating the hell out of him. He  
wondered how long it would take before they were, well, friends again.  
  
"We need to talk."  
  
When Xander landed from his impromptu trip to the moon, he spun to see the girl he had  
been talking to . She was standing in the shadows, next to the door. Scared.  
  
"Yeah, I guess we do." Xander took a quick look around, "but not here."  
  
"Where's you're friends?"  
  
"We're not exactly friends at the moment, and I'm sure you figured that out, as well as  
the little item about them being after you."  
  
"Yes, that's why we got to talk, um, you got car?"  
  
"Over this way," Xander spun and walked to the left. Running feet told him that the girl  
was catching up, and was ready to go when they finally reached the blue convertible. "Get in.   
We'll find someplace quiet, where we can talk."  
  
They drove in silence, until Xander finally stopped at an out of the way diner on the edge  
of town, near the airport. Making sure he had a couple crosses and a handful of stakes, he led  
the way inside. Where he had a coffee, and the girl had a coke.  
  
"Okay, give. Name?"  
  
"Christina Thaylor."  
  
"You sent the gris-gris to Willow, the one with the red head?"  
  
"Yeah, I sent it." Christina went on to deliver pretty much the same story he had gotten  
from Old Pete, but with more detail and less drunkenness. Xander's heart sank. He had  
harbored the belief that there was a mistake there someplace, but it was quickly being driven  
back, the description was too real. 'I suppose you think I should give them back?"  
  
"You can do that?"  
  
Christina rolled her eyes. "They're not gone. They're just bound, so she can't use them.  
All I have to do is unbind them, but if I do, is she gonna come after me?"  
  
"The Willow I grew up with wouldn't, and would be appalled at what she did at the  
Bronze. I can't speak for the Willow she is now, but you saw the girl she was with?" Christina  
swallowed and nodded. "That's the Slayer and if you don't undo what you did, she's not going  
to stop looking until she finds you, and she tends to think with her fists before she does with her  
head. Oh, she can use her head, given the right sitch, so I'd suggest you help that along a little.   
I'll do what I can to keep them off you're back, but I can't promise or anything."  
  
"I suppose," Christina dug into her purse, and handed Xander a bag, similar o the one she  
had sent Willow. "Give her this, and she'll be as powerful as usual. I'll just have to risk her not  
coming after me,"  
  
Xander's heart went out to her. "Look, they don't know for sure yet, and I'll run  
interference as best I can. After all, I've been told I am quite distracting. However...."   
  
Xander leaned across the table and started whispering to Christina, who was looking very  
dubius.  
  
  
  
  
"What are you doing here?" Buffy glared at Xander as he entered the back room of the  
Magic Box. Willow stared daggers from her place in front of the computer.  
  
"My girl friend owns the place remember." Xander grinned. "I have my very own key."  
  
He turned to face Willow.  
  
"Three things. One, the next time you send people through dimensions, or make them  
disappear, for do funky dances, or what ever it is you do to unsuspecting people, don't do it in  
front of others who might think what you did was bad, which it was, by the way, and decide that  
they should do something about it. This is the Helmuth remember, we got more than our fair  
share of those. Two," here Xander took the pouch out of his pocket, and tossed it to Willow.   
"This will restore your powers, which you always had but but were bound so you couldn't use  
them, and three. Three, I don't remember who the person who did this to you is, but I do  
remember some things. One, I had a forget spell placed on me, two I have a charm that protects  
me against the use of magic so don't even think of using magic to try and make me remember,  
and three I'll know if you try going after her." He spun on his heels.  
  
"Willow," he heard a frustrated Buffy exclaim.   
"Buffy, I can explain."  
  
He wondered how that was going to turn out. 


	2. Willow looses her powers again

"Xander, what are you doing here?"  
  
The person in question jumped, and reassembled himself just in time to see Buffy step out  
of the shadows.   
  
"Just out for a walk, Buffy. Needed some air."  
  
"At night Xander? You know how dangerous that is."  
  
"Yeah, I know." Xander ran his hand through his hair. "Or maybe I don't want to know,  
or care, or something. I just have a bad feeling A very bad feeling."  
  
Buffy looked concerned. "Xand, uh, we may have our differences, but you can tell me  
anything, you know that."  
  
"Yeah." Xander looked around, almost frantically. Decided on a direction and hurried  
on.  
  
"Xander," a confused Buffy rushed to catch up. "What's wrong."  
  
He didn't answer, just darted up an alley, past two yards, and froze when he reached the  
fourth.  
  
A nondescript back yard. Nothing to distinguish it from the others on either side. Except  
maybe the broken window on the second floor, the wheel chair suspended six feet up in the air,  
with no visible means of support. The slumped figure on the ground beneath it.  
  
"Xander what?"  
  
Xander ignored her, moving quickly to the fallen figure.  
  
"Is she?"  
  
"Still alive." Xander did a quick examination. It almost scared him that he could do this  
without thinking. "No broken bones, thin legs, my guess, she own the wheel chair up there."  
  
"But how?"  
  
"Christine Thaylor."  
  
"Christina Thaylor, who's she." Buffy dropped her cell phone back into her bag, and  
crouched beside Xander. "Who's she?"  
  
"Remember Willow got her powers bound?"  
  
"Yeah, so, some person saw her do some things that were, well, not right, and bound her  
powers, what's that got to do with this?"  
  
"Christina's the girl who bound her."  
  
"What," Buffy's eyes flashed. "You said she put a spell on you, so you wouldn't  
remember her name." The tone Buffy used told Xander that she was reserving judgement.  
  
"She did, and I'm wondering why it is that I'm remembering."  
  
"You think she did this?"  
  
Xander glanced at the house. "I think she lives here." He glanced at the lady. "I think  
this is her grandmother. I don't think she did this?" He glanced over at Buffy. "Where's  
Willow?"  
  
"Willow wouldn't do this," Buffy said heatedly, "You know that."  
  
"When Christina cast the forgetting spell, she said that I wouldn't remember. But she was  
worried about what Willow might do once she got her powers back. She said that if she detected  
Willow using magic to find her, or do something, I'd remember, so I could help, or something."  
  
An emergency vehicle screeched to a halt, and Xander and Buffy retreated to the shadows.  
  
  
  
Willow frowned as she hurried to the Magic Box. She knew that Buffy and Xander would  
be there, especially after last night, and she had to do something. They'd never understand that all  
she wanted to do was scare the little bitch. Teach her to keep her nose clean. It wasn't her fault  
that the old lady had been caught in her spell, and she wouldn't have fallen from the wheel chair if  
she hadn't thrashed about like she did. Willow had caught her before she really hit the ground  
hadn't she. It was an accident, pure and simple. Not that she expected either of them to accept  
that. No they wouldn't, and what were they doing there anyway. She'd worry about that later.   
  
What really hurt was the little bitch not being there anyway.  
  
Arriving outside the shop, she plastered a smile on her face and entered. To find Anya  
behind the counter, which was usual unless she thought you were going to actually purchase  
something, and there were voices coming from the back. She couldn't really hear what they were  
saying, or recognize the voices, but she couldn't take that chance. She headed past the counter,  
ignoring Anya's puzzled look, and started formulating the spell in her mind.  
  
"Forget," she shouted bursting into the back room. Xander and Buffy were standing,  
having what looked to be a heated argument. He managed to catch Buffy, as her knees buckling  
in the faint that preceded mind wiping. But why was he still on his feet, and why was he looking  
at her that way.  
  
Then she remembered. Xander had told them that the bitch had put a spell on him, or  
given him a charm, that made him impervious to her magic. Something else she'd have to pay for.  
  
But right now, her eyes widened, as she saw the anger in Xander's eyes. She stepped  
back as he stepped closer and mouthed the word why.  
  
"Because I had to," Willow cried. "For your own good."  
  
"Our own good," Xander repeated. "How? Please explain it to me, cause I'm not getting  
it. How was it for our good?"  
  
Willow cringed at the pain just below the surface of his voice, but she was right to do  
what she as doing. She knew she was right, and they'd forgive her when she was better able to  
help them. She knew they would, but right now, she had to get out of here. Get away.  
  
She turned and bolted up the corridor, and was brought down in a tackle that would have  
made any football coach proud.  
  
For a moment she couldn't believe that Xander had tackled her. Then Willow's senses  
started registering things. The body sprawled accross hers was smaller, not man-like. Not  
Xander...  
  
AAAAAAAgh  
  
Willow bucked, sending the smaller body flying off her, scrambled to her feet, spinning to  
see..  
  
That Little Bitch.  
  
Who Was Going To Pay NOW.  
  
Almost without thought the spell leapt to her mind, all that was needed was to speak the  
words.  
  
She did  
  
And  
  
Nothing.  
  
Nothing happened. Willow was confused then she took a closer look at Christina. At  
what she dangled in her hand.  
  
And screamed. 


	3. Buffy and Christina

"Wha...happp...?" Buffy struggled up from the couch and looked around. She was in the  
danger room behind the magic shop, and there was no one there. Except for a dusky skinned girl  
sitting on the training mat, staring contemplatively at the punching bag. "Who are you?"  
  
"Christina Thaylor." The girl never faced her, but thee was an expectation that Buffy  
should remember that name and not in a nice way. There was also a lot of defiance.  
  
"Okay, what are you doing here?"  
  
"Xander asked me to stay, make sure nothing happened to you." Ink black eyes raked her  
up and down. "You're awake, you look fine to me. I'll be going now."  
  
"Wait." Buffy's voice caught her just as Christina had risen to her feet. "You didn't say  
where Xander was."  
  
"He's gone out looking for Willow." Christina turned to look closely at Buffy. "You  
really don't remember do you. That must have been a forgetting spell she laid on you. "What's  
the last thing you remember?"  
  
"Look, I really don't think I should be telling you."  
  
"Fine, then I'll be going." Once again Christina turned for the door, but this time she was  
stopped by Xander coming into the room.  
  
"Did you find her?"  
  
"Xander phone," Anya's voice echoed from the front.  
  
"You know Xander," Buffy studied the girl, feeling that she should be familiar, but not  
placing her. "I thought I knew all his friends."  
  
"We're not exactly friends," Christina glanced at the floor. "I, uh, did something he  
figured was wrong, and he found me and made me fix it."  
  
"Really what did you do?"  
  
"Bound Willow, so she couldn't use her powers."  
  
"What," Buffy started to get up, fury building upon her face. Christina backed away,  
nearly backing into Xander who appeared in the door.  
  
"Christina," Xander's voice was strangely quiet. Buffy looked open mouth, ready to go  
into a tirade about what she had done to her best friend. "I need to talk to you. Uh, can we go  
into the office. Please."  
  
Buffy watched them go, and sat on the couch, deciding to wait until they got back before  
exploding. She heard a muffled 'no' coming from the office, followed by silence. After a bit  
longer, Xander came out, leaned against the wall for a beat, then returned to the danger room,  
where he sank into a chair. "I never want to have to do that again.."  
  
"What," Buffy raised an eyebrow. "Leave me out of the loop, cause I don't want you to  
do that again either."  
  
Xander stared at her, then shook his head. Sorry, I forgot, you don't remember."  
  
"Remember what? What can't I remember? Why can't I remember it?" Buffy looked  
confused. "I'm drawing a big blank about last night. What happened last night? Is that what  
you're talking about?"  
  
Xander sighed and told her.  
  
"What?" Buffy jumped up from her seat, glaring at Xander. We found her grandmother  
unconscious in her back yard, with her wheel chair suspended in the air, and you think Willow did  
this. Xander, how could you think her even capable?" Buffy was incensed at the very idea.  
  
"I don't want to think that either Buff, cause it would mean she's not the Willow I knew.   
But if she didn't why the forget spell?"  
  
Buffy collapsed back into her seat.   
  
I don't know, she said desperately, casting around for any reason not to blame her best  
friend. "Maybe it as that girl, what's her name," Buffy waved an arm in the direction of the office.   
"Maybe she did it and set it up so we would blame Willow. I mean, Okay it was her grandmother,  
but you said she wasn't seriously hurt, so she must have set her down gently, well not too gently  
cause she was unconscious and, well, we can always ask her up at the hospital, when they let her  
have visitors..."  
  
"She's dead," Xander told Buffy, his voice showing the deep emotion he was feeling.  
  
"What? But you said..."  
  
"Yeah, I know what I said, but she died. The phone call, that was a nurse I know at the  
hospital. She was her only family. Why would she risk losing her?"  
  
"Oh Willow." 


	4. Willow finds a friend ina graveyard

"Kind of late for a stroll innit?" Spike hopped off the headstone he was sitting on, and  
approached the red head walking aimlessly along the path. "Specially since you know how  
dangerous it can be."  
  
Willow turned to face Spike, a look of panic on her face.  
  
"Hey," Spike backed up a step. "Ain't gonna hurt you, just want to know what you are  
doing out this late?"  
  
Willow turned away and started aimlessly down the path. Only to be stopped by a not too  
gentle hand on his shoulder.  
  
"Hell Witch, you got a death wish or something. Don't you got someplace to be?"  
  
"Got no place to be," Willow muttered low, but not low enough.  
  
"What? Slayer kick you out? What about your folks or Xander?"  
  
"They won't want me. Not after what I done."  
  
"Do tell," Spike raised an eyebrow. "What did you do to bring this down upon yourself?"  
  
Willow told him.   
  
"Am I evil," she asked plaintively.  
  
"Not a chance girl, being evil means never having to say you're sorry, and unless I miss  
my guess you been kicking yourself down the path all afternoon."  
  
"Something like that."  
  
"Which don't mean that you're not traveling down that path. Whether you finish the  
journey, or not, depends on what you're gonna do." Spike paused. "So what are you going to  
do?"  
  
"Give up magic."  
  
"Just like that, cold turkey. Not even gonna think about it agin."  
  
"I can do it."  
  
"Not saying you can't." Spike paused to dig out a cigaret. "Now you can give up  
smokiing, if you try hard enough. Smoking's just a habit, one that'll kill you or not, but it ain't a  
part of you. Magic's not like that you were born with it and you'll die with it, or because of it."  
  
"What do you mean born with it. I never became a witch until five years ago."  
  
"Subtle difference between having and using red. You just never used it til five years  
ago."  
  
"So I can stop using it."  
  
"Sense of power that comes with it, kind of heady, and not easy to give up. Best learn  
some control."  
  
"Easy to say," Willow snorted. "Not so easy to do. When you're me."  
  
Spike glanced at her.  
  
"Don't put your self down red. Might be something you can do, and til we figure out  
what, you can stay at my crypt."  
  
Willow paniced. "They'll find me, you know they will."  
  
"Yeah, I forgot, what with Buffy coming around so often and all. But they're gong to find  
you eventually, unless you leave town, and I'm betting you're not ready for that yet. So, okay,  
there's this little crypt close enough for me to keep an eye on. You could stay there." 


	5. Xander becaomes a Watcher

"Christina!" Xader stood outside her closed bedroom door and hollered. "Get your butt  
out of that bed before I come in and do it for you."  
  
After Christina had lost her grandmother, three weeks before, Xander and Anya had  
offered their spare bedroom, until more permanent arrangements could be made. However, no  
family member came crawling out of the wood woork to claim her, though they had sent letters to  
every address they could find. Anya didn't seem to mind, in fact seemed rather leased to have  
someone who enjoye cooking. Not that she pushed the entire chore onto the kid, but it meant she  
could stay at the shop later a couple days a week.   
  
She had also started going in to work earlier, so Xander was left with the daily 'get  
Christina up and off to school' ritual. Which usually meant wait one half an hour after her alarm  
went off, then stand outside her door and scream. And holler until you got a response.  
  
"Gheez, give a girl a chance to wake up." The door was flung open and twin black eyes  
glared up at Xander.   
  
"You had half an hour," he told her.  
  
She rolled her eyes and pushed past him, towards the bathroom.  
  
Xander grinned and headed to the kitchen and a last coffee and toast before getting her  
out the door, and himself off to work. A trip diverted by a ringing doorbell.  
  
"Buffy, Giles, so good to see you this early in the morning, and uh, your boxes."  
  
"Which are heavy," Buffy stated, peering around her couple, "So we'd appreciate your  
moving out of the way so we can find a place to put them."  
  
"Uh, sure," Xander stepped aside, pulling the door open wide. "Its not my birthday, or  
Anya's. What's the deal."  
  
"No Idea," said Buffy disappearing into the living room, where she dropped them onto the  
floor. "Giles wouldn't tell me. She grinned. "There's a couple more in the car you can help me  
with."  
  
"Buffy?" Giles dropped his beside Buffy's, and looked at her.  
  
"Come on," Buffy grabbed Xander's arm and pulled him through the door. "Let's go get  
them boxes."  
  
She didn't stopped pulling until they got outside the building. Then she turned, and  
pinned Xander up against the wall.  
  
"What's going on Xander?"  
  
"I don't know Buff, what are you talking about?"  
  
"I'm talking about Giles getting in last night, about his rushing over to your place sure  
you'd say yes. So again, what's going on? Why's he so sure you'll say yes."  
  
"Not a clue Buff, and we won't get one playing twenty questions out here when the man  
with the answers in in there."  
  
  
  
They returned to find Christina and Giles pulling books out of the boxes.  
  
"Books," Xander said amazed. "You brought me books?"  
  
"Mr. Giles says you're to be my Watcher," Christina dropped the book she was holding,  
and turned to Xander. The grin faded and she looked puzzled. "Uh, what's a Watcher?"  
  
"Something that I didn't know I was gonna be and something I'll be talking to you about  
later. After school."  
  
"School," Christina said innocently.  
  
"Yes school, that place kids go for their daily dose of learning and torture. Where you'll  
be going to right after breakfast. If you get a move on that is."  
  
Christina rolled her eyes, but headed for the kitchen.  
  
"A Watcher Giles, Xander? That's wrong on so many levels, I can't even begin to know  
where to start."  
  
Xander stared at the girl.   
  
"Why is it Wrong Buff?" Somehow he didn't care about the bite in his voice. "I don't  
know that I want to do this, yet, but why would it be so wriong if I do?"  
  
Buffy looked at him, a little put off by his tone, and a little amazed that she had to explain  
the obvious.  
  
"You've got a soon to b wife, Xander, and Christina. Isn't it about time you started  
thinking about a normal life?"  
  
"A normal life Buff? My life took a sharp turn away from normal the day I had to kill  
Jesse, it really went over to the wild side when I became Hyena-Boy. A little late for a normal  
life."  
  
"Okay," Buffy said a little heated. "Let's put it another way. You're reckless, take too  
many risks. One of these days you're going to get into a position you won't get out of, and I may  
not be able to help. "Face facts, you'd be better off if you got out of the game."  
  
"I tried that." Xander stared at the Slayer. "Remember, the road trip after graduation.   
Okay, it didn't work out as planned, but part of it was to get out of this game, as you put it, and  
for a while it worked. But eventually, it started growing on me, not only had I run out, I had run  
out on my two best buds, and it got so I couldn't face the guy I saw in the mirror every morning.   
So I came back. I'm part of this fight. With you or without you, I'm part of it, so is Anya, and  
maybe Christina, cause I can't see anyway to keep her out, so the best thing I can do for them is  
to see that they keep safe for as long as possible. I don't much like the Watcher's Council, but if  
working with them gives them the best chance, then that's what I gotta do. For them and for me."  
  
Xander spoke, easily. He didn't knw where exactly, but a decision had been made.  
  
"Giles, where do I sign up?"  
  
  
  
Buffy stormed into Giles apartment, and whirled to face him. "Okay, why didn't you tell  
me that was what you were going to do? Why were you so sure that he would do it?"  
  
"If I had told you, would you have tried to stop it?"  
  
"Of course I would. It's a bad idea."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because it draws him closer into the fight. You helped keep him out when we were in  
school."  
  
"I tried to keep him out of the fighting part, because he really wasn't that good at it. I  
daresay he hasn't improved all that much." Buffy snorted. "He was, and probably is still, good at  
research and coming up with plans. I merely found a way to better channel his talents." Giles  
looked at his Slayer. "How long do you expect him to survive after you are gone?"  
  
Buffy looked uncomfortable.  
  
"Willow brought you back once. It was a mistake in more ways than one, and a mistake I  
fully intend to see that she doesn't repeat. But what's done is done, and we must live with it, and  
so must you. You won't live forever and what then? Willow has her witchcraft." Buffy opened  
her mouth but Giles stopped her. "Oh, I know, she's been blocked. But I've had a chance to  
study Christina's gris-gris. It is temporary, though she may not be aware of that, and she should  
be regaining her powers soon, if she hasn't already. Anya is an ex-demon, and may have some  
advantage there, Spike is a vampire. What is Xander? A normal person, who is all you said he  
was and more, but an exceptional young man, with one overwhelming quality that will get him  
killed more than anything else."  
  
"What's that?" Buffy still didn't like the idea, but was beginning to understand it.  
  
"I don't know how much you know of military history, particularily during war time. It is  
replete of stories of uncommon valour, wger a man, knowing that he would never get out alive,  
would carry live grenades into enemy fortifications."  
  
"You think Xander had this uncommon valour?"  
  
"Xander is nothing if not overprotective. He will, and has, taken great risks to see that  
you, and the others he cares about, are safe, and he has done so despite our efforts to keep him  
out of the game. I merely wish to give him as much of a chance as possible." 


	6. Finding Willow

This whole being a atcher thing had been preying on Xander's mind all day, and now it  
was getting in the way of his paying attention to the scooby meeting. Which was okay, since the  
point was to bring Giles up to speed on the missing Willow sitch. Which he'd heard before. Tara  
was sure that she'd know if Willow was usin g her magic, which drew a snort from Christina.   
Who was attending her very first scooby meeting, and was sure that Willow had stayed biund,  
even though Giles had explained the temporary nature of her gris-gris. Anyway, Tara was also  
sure that Willow was still alive.   
  
Buffy reported on her feelings of frustration on not being able to find her former best  
friend, which Xander had wished she hadn't said. Frustrated yes, former best friend no, Anyway,  
she had put the fear of the Slayer into Willie.   
  
Anya had networked with the other proprietors that sold ,magic supplies, and no one  
remembered her.  
  
The only one not weighing in with a position was Spike, and come to think of it, he hadn't  
been around as often during the last month. Since about when Willow disappweared. Xander  
stopped to think. Nah, his crypt had been searched time and time again, and surely he'd know  
what Buffy would do to him if he crossed her. Like hiding someone from her.  
  
Still, Sunnydale wasn't all that big a town, and there wasn't all that many places to go. It  
shouldn't be as difficult as finding a needle in the haystack. Except that this particular needle  
knew thenm and out performed them in the brin department.  
  
Still the most likely thing was that she was receiving help from someone. Someone who  
new she was hiding from them..."  
  
"Xander!" Everybody was staring at him.  
  
"What were you doing," Buffy demanded. "Don't you think you should pay attention  
now that you're going to be a Watcher?"  
  
"Uh, sorry, just connecting dots." Buffy rolled her eyes. Xander turned to Giles. "What  
happens when we do find her? You planning to fis her up with a Watcher?"  
  
"Since we can't seem to find her, that point would seem to be moot. Unless you have an  
idea."  
  
"Xander," warned the Slayer, "if you now something..."  
  
"Like I said Buff, I've been connecting the dots. But before I do anything about it, I'd  
like to know what's gonna happen when we do find her."  
  
"I, ah, suppose that would probably be what ould happen but..."  
  
"Great, I nominate Tara."  
  
"What, but I c-c-c-ouldn'T"  
  
"Sure you could, you know all about the mojo thing, and its not like you'd be alone.   
There's still giles, and I'd help."  
  
"Xander," Buffy started.  
  
"Plus," Xander ignored Buffy. "There's the guy that's helping her."  
  
"What?" Xander looked around at the assembled people around the table. "C'mon, she's  
got to know that we're looking for her, and the only reason we haven't is because she doesn't  
want to be found. But Sunnydale isn't so big that we wouldn't have come accross something in  
the last month. So she's got to be getting help from somewhere."  
  
"Xander what do you know?"  
  
"No more than you do, like I said. But I do have an idea, and need a week to see if it  
works out."  
  
"Well you don't have a week. You don't even have one minute." Buffy's eye's flashed as  
she stood up. " Now spill."  
  
"Hey," a voice shouted. "You threatening my Watcher."  
  
Every eye turned to Christina, who was standing beside the table, glaring at Buffy.  
  
"Sit down.," Buffy snapped at her, then turned back to Xander. "Start talking now."  
  
"And what? If I'm wrong, we just wasted more time. If I'm right, you'll go at her all  
Slayer like, which'll end up three ways. One, she gives up, which would be the best solution, but  
she's had a month to come out. Two, she manages to escape, which makes it all that much harder  
to find her again. Or three, she gets backed into a corner and tries to fight her way out, in which  
case you let her go, you kill her, or she kills you. None of which sounds like something I want to  
happen, so I think I'll do this my way for a week, and if I don't find her, then I let you in on it and  
do it your way."  
  
"Don't let this Watcher thing go to your head." Buffy glared at Xander, who was  
definetely not happy, and very nervous about being at odds with the Slayer.  
  
"I'm not," he said quietly. "But I'm not backing down."  
  
"That's enough," Giles thundered from his seat. "Buffy, Xander sit down."  
  
He waited for them to comply before continuing.  
  
"I don't know what you're thinkin this will accomplish. One thing it won't do is get  
Willow out of hiding. Now, do you have any better ideas Buffy?"  
  
"No but..."  
  
"Then I suggest we give Xander a chance. If it doesn't work we can try something else."  
  
Buffy's eyes flashed. "Xander you have one week."  
  
  
  
It took less than that. Three nights, of sneaking into Spike's cemetery, Not to see him, but to see  
where he was going. One night in particular, Xander thought Spike was particularily frustrated.   
He'd leave his crypt, start for a certain part of the cemetery, and slip back into the shadows  
whenever his path was crossed by a tall svelte woman. A bunch of them seemed to have chosen  
that night to visit, and Xander wondered if he should warn them about the dangers they faced.   
However, they looked like they knew what they were doing, and Xander spotted more than one  
vamp avoiding them.  
  
On the third night, the women were gone, and Xander followed Spike. Who finally had a  
chance to complete what he wanted to do. Which was to visit a small crypt in a rarely visited part  
of the cemetery.  
  
  
  
Xander pushed on the door to the crypt. It opened a little, and then stopped as the door  
came up to asomething.   
  
"Willow, you in there?"  
  
No answer.  
  
"Do I gotta get Buffy to open the door.? Cause, you know, I will if I have to."  
  
Xander waited a few moments, and then there was a scraping noise, and the door opened  
wider. He slipped in as soon as it was wide enough.  
  
"Nice place." His eyes grew accustomed to the candle light. There were candes set up  
aroungd the crypt, illuminating a chair, small sesk, lap top, and a cot with a sleeping bag on it.   
There was even a small coleman stove and ice box. "Spike help you fix things up?"  
  
Willow nodded dumbly, standing beside the door, her eyes on her oldest friend.   
  
"Hey, I'm just glad you're okay, I'm not gonna turn you in or anything. It's hat, weel it's  
been a month, and a month without Willow in it is not a month I want to live trough again.   
"Xander got a good look at the girl. "Yeah, I know I'm babbling, and had this whole speech  
prepared, you know, where I'd forgive you and things would be happiness ever after, but I guess  
they won't be like that ever, Huh?"  
  
Willow shook her head, and walked over to the wall.  
  
"So, what are you going to do?"  
  
"Well like I said, I'm not going to turn you in..." Xander sank down to a seat next to her.   
Just like he used to do when they were kids.  
  
"But, I killed that old lady."  
  
"Yeah, well I on't know how that's going to play itself out. There's going to be  
consequences you know, there's gotta be. But it wasn't deliberate. H, it wasn't was it?"  
  
"No, she wouldn't stop thrashing about in her wheel chair. I couldn't control it."  
  
"Christna's living with Anya and me. She has no other family, and I didn't feel right  
abandining her to social serices."  
  
Willow nodded. "I know."  
  
"You do," Xander looked surprised. "Yeah, I guess you do."  
  
"Giles is back."  
  
"I know that to."  
  
"He says that the Council are assigning Watchers to witches now. Betcha didn't know  
that."  
  
"No, I didn't," Willow said, following it with a small giggle.   
  
"I'm going to be Christina's Watcher."  
  
Willow looked at him.  
  
"Tara could be your Watcher, if you'd let her."  
  
"She wouldn't want to be." Willow fidgetted nervously. "Ot after what I did."  
  
"You're not a bad person, Will. You just got in over your head. You just need a little  
more direction, discipline, if you'd let Tara provide that, then you should be okay, back with your  
friends. We can work out the other stuff somehow."  
  
"Otherwise, what are you going to do?"  
  
"I dunno."  
  
"Tara doesn't think you've been using your magic, that's something."  
  
"Spike's been helping with that."  
  
"He still can?"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Well, he can't be your official Watcher, evil soulless vampire and all that, but he could  
help, like Giles did with Buffy when Wes was her official Watcher."  
  
"Buffy's not going to like that?"  
  
"This isn't about Buffy. This is about you." 


	7. 2 conversations

"You gonna help her?" More of a statement than a question.  
  
"Yes." Xander sat at the breakfast table, thinking that almost anytime except now would  
be great for this conversation. Peferably some time way way off into the future. Christina handed  
him a cup of coffee and stood waiting. "I have to."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"She's my best friend, my oldest friend. If this is something wrong, I can't abandon her."  
  
"She killed my grandmother."  
  
Xander rubbed his face. "I know she did, and I don't think she meant for that to happen,  
but she did and there's gotta be consequences for that. Just don't know what's that going to  
be."  
  
"Jail would be good."  
  
"I don't think any jail could hold her. Not with her mojo."  
  
"So she gets away with it."  
  
Xander sighed. "Anybody tell you about Faith?"  
  
"Faith?"  
  
"Yeah, she was, er is, a Slayer, long story, but but she was a little more on the dark side. She  
killed a human, well maybe that was accidental, but then she killed another trying to escape custody.   
She hurt a lot of people, really hurt them. She could of still been free."  
  
"But she's not...free."  
  
"No she's in jail, but she's there because she feels she needs to be there, cause with her Slayer  
strength, with her training, no jail could keep her in."  
  
"So?"  
  
"So if she didn't feel that she had anybody in her corner, she wouldn't have made that choice.   
She'd still be out there, or dead, or popping up, coming at us until one of us had to kill her. We don't  
have to like what Willow has done, but we can't abandon her. I can't."  
  
"Okay." Christina's tone told Xander that she was shelving the subject to be used later.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Christina was gone, school and all, Xander had the day off. Anya was at the store, reasy for  
a day of go money go.Xander hadn't a thing to do, except maybe get this Watcher thing on the road.   
Like reading some of those books Giles and Buffy had brought over, but as someone once said, he  
wasn't very book friendly. Still. He should do something Watcher-like, so he headed for his hidey-  
hole. Sat down on the chair, and stared at his computer.  
  
A Macintosh Plus he and Willow had found in Mrd. O'Leary's trash duting their first year at  
Sunnydale High. Briefly his mind flashed back to Willow's eye roll as he grabbed it, and the still  
connected hard drive, leaving her to bring the keyboard and the mouse. Complaining all the way that  
he would never need it, should get a much better computer, and really, who used such an old  
computer now a days. "But it's so simple to use," he'd responded. "Simple comuter, dumb guy,  
works for me."  
  
Not that Willow wasn't right, mostly. The computer was easy, had everything he'd need for  
word processing, okay slower word processing, but it still worked faster than he could type which  
was the point wasn't it. Even though it had spent much of the intervening yeard propping up  
whatever he threw over it. It did get used, mainly as a word processor, hey it did have MSWorks  
1.1 on it. Mostly for typng practise, and a lot of the stuff he wrote were summaries of what he'd read   
in the numerous research sessions he'd taken part in.   
  
He still liked the simple computer - dumb guy concept, preferring to leave the hacking, which  
he couldn't do anyway, and the web surfing to Willow, who was much better at it than he was  
anyway. But Willow wasn't available, he knew the value of internet searching. He could have gone  
into Christina's room and use the computer there, but except for certain situations, he considered that  
a no go zone. So it was just him and the Mac.  
  
A few trips to the landfill, which had quite a selection of tossed out computer junk, had  
provided him with a few more working hard drives, an external 56.6K modem. Christina had  
downloaded some stuff from the internet and saved them, with Macsee, on to disks.  
  
Xander spotted the pile of disks beside the computer, and was happy to see that she had done  
so, and it gave him something to do besides cataloguing books. Well no time like the present.  
  
Ten minutes later, he had changed hard drives, plugged the disks into the slot, dragged and  
dropped the programs into the appropriate folders. Five minutes to configure the external modem,  
and another five to dial in and set up an account with Sunnydale's Free-Net. Which offered really  
really cheap net access if you didn't mind no graphics. Not that he couldn't get graphics if needed.  
But while surfing, and most other times, his imagination was scary enough.  
  
"Still playing with that old thing."  
  
That old thing nearly ended up on the floor and Xander jerked and twisted to see who was  
talking.   
  
Buffy stood in the oorway. Xander tried to remember if he had heard the door bel ring. He  
realized that he hadn't but decided to let it go.  
  
"Hey. Uh, what brings you here?"  
  
"You, the things you said at the meeting last week. The whole Watcher thing." Buffy  
shrugged. "I'd have been around earlier but its been that kind of week." Buffy looked at Xander.   
"I'm not real thrilled with you."  
  
"Christina's not either, about my helping Willow, I guess I can't blame her, but well Willow  
is, well Willow."  
  
"She betrayed us."  
  
Xander nodded and wondered how many times he was going to have to replay this conversation.  
  
"Yeah, I know, but, well, I can't just abandon her. I keep thinking about Faith, and how it  
wasn't until Angel proved that he was rootin for her, not on her side, but in her corner, that she  
decided that she had to be where she is."  
  
"Faith is where she desreves to be," Buffy ground out. "I can't believe that you'd think Angel  
would be on her side after what she did to me. To all of us."  
  
That last seemed to be added in haste. Xander let it go.  
  
"Not arguing about what she did, but if Angel hadn't been there, and let her know that he saw  
something of value in her, she would be dead, and more than likely one of us would have had to kill  
her."  
  
Buffy thoght of a reply, but decided he was probably right. "Willow couldn't be like Faith."  
  
"I know that," Xander replied. "I just don't want her feeling like there's no one on her side."  
  
"Is this whole being a Watcher thing going to mean that we're gonna disagree more than  
usual?"  
  
"I don't know Buff. It's kind of weird looking at it through their eyes. Not that I can, but  
well, from the pont of view of one who uh is a Watcher and not a fighter." A smile crossed his lips.   
"I'm even thinking of going to LA and a[ologizing to Wesley."  
  
"Apologize to Wesley?" Buffy goggled at him. "What ever for?"  
  
"He was trying to do a job, and we weren't helping." Xander pushed a hander through his  
hair. "Maybe I just got a different perspective, I don't know, and maybe it will mean we don't agree.   
I don't think that's gonna happen but it might, and if Chris gets put into more danger than she needs  
to be or I think she can handle, I gotta recommend that she don't."  
  
Buffy worked her way through that sentence. She had spent a lot of time trying to keep him  
safe, out of it, and now, he was in it closer than ever. She wasn't sure how to react to that. She  
didn't trust the Council, she thought he didn't either.  
  
"I don't," he said when she asked about it. "But I think I'm oing the right thing. Besides,  
the Council's real keen on the idea, well not the idea of me joining them, but about having Wtchers  
assigned to Witches, and Christina's not going to be consigned to some oversuffed tweed suit. Also,  
they've got way more resources than we do, and some day we might need them." 


	8. Choices and Decisions

"Hey." Xander stood outside the back door of the Magic Box and watched as Spike and  
Willow exited the DeSoto.   
  
"Hey," Willow glanced around worriedly. "Really nervous about tonight."  
  
Xander nodded. "Ready?"  
  
"As I'll ever be."  
  
Xander led the way into the danger room, and found more than just the usual suspects  
there. Buffy, Giles, Tara, and Anya were seated around theresearch table with a silver haired  
woman. Another three woman were sitting on the couch.   
  
Every eye was on them. Willow shrank a bit behind Xander, and the three women rose  
from the couch, moving foward carrying ropes.  
  
"Meribeth," snapped the silver haired woman. "This has been decided. Would you set  
you face against me."  
  
The dark haired womn, flanked by her companions, stopped and glared. "No Serena. I  
would not do so, but what you propose is foolishness. The girl is incautious, by her acts she  
would call down the Burning Times upon us. By her acts, she has already called the attentions of  
the Watchers to us. They wish to use us. For that alone, she should be destroyed."  
  
"Hey," shouted Buffy, "No ones going to..."  
  
"The Watcher's only interest is to provide," began Giles, but he was cut off.  
  
"Such things are not your concern, Watcher," hissed Meribeth. "Keep them to your pet  
Slayer."  
  
"Hey," protested Buffy.  
  
"Meribeth," snapped Serena. "I am the chosen leader of the White Witches, not only here  
but in all of California. The path has been set in decision and in ritual. Would you set you face  
against me?"  
  
For the longest moment it looked like Meribeth would. She glared at Serena, and the two  
women, backing her, looked increasingly nervous. Finally, with a sigh she relented.  
  
"No my mistress, I will submit to this foolishness."  
  
"Foolishness perhaps, and in another time I would relish an entanglement with the  
Watchers for their presumptousness. But with the Old Gods seeking a return to this land we can  
ill afford a war with the Watchers Council. Beside, the girl is not too dissimilar to what you were  
when you first came to us. Now you are second."  
  
Meribeth looked at her surprised.  
  
Serena smiled. "Do not think that I will reward opposition, but in this time we need  
strong leadership and a second thet fears not her own mind."  
  
Meribeth returned her smile. A smile that faded as she regarded Willow.   
  
"Like me she may be, as I once was. But no more. You burned sense into me."  
  
"As I expect you will do with her."  
  
"What?" Clearly Meribeth was surprised. So were most of the other people around the  
room.  
  
"It is high time you took an apprentice to yourself. I can think of no better candidate for  
you or for her."  
  
"Hey!" A red faced Willow stepped forward into the room. "Don't I get a choice?"  
  
Serena looked at her.  
  
"Your choices are what led you, and us, to this moment. Your actions have brought  
unwanted attention u[on us. Unchecked, they could still bring the Burning Times down upon us."  
  
"Nobody has burned a witch at the stake in hundreds of years." Willow glared back.   
"People won't stand for that."  
  
"They burned my daughter."  
  
Every eye turned to Meribeth.  
  
"April the first, 1993. Emma, my eldest, was picking flowers in the Ozarks when she was  
accosted by a group of savages. Dragged to a clearing where she was burned alive for being a  
witch."  
  
"W-was she...?"  
  
"Yes, she was, but not the one that caused the problems that seeded the fear. Just the one  
they caught." For a moment, Meribeth's eyes misted, but she shook herself out of it. "They  
never caught the ones that did it and never will."  
  
"But someone...surely someone knew something."  
  
"If they did they said nothing. They were all caught by the fear and then by the shame of  
what they did." Meribet sighed ant turned to Willow. "Do you not see what you did. What you  
did at the Bronze, shifting those people to another dimension, no harm may have come of it, they  
may not even remember, but you chose. You chose to subject them to forces they would never  
agree to being subjected to. You chose to do so with no thought to anything but your own  
convenience, because you were to lazy to use the other senses you were blessed with. You may  
have lucked out this time, what about next time. Next time may fuel the seeds of fear. The kind  
of fear that leads to witch burning. The kind of fear that oft times gets acted upon before rational  
thought breaks through the fog."  
  
Willow said nothing, just lowered her eyes.  
  
"Girl," this time it was Serena who spoke. "We do not compel, or decide for thee, such is  
not our way. Refuse this offer, or accept it, but tis thee that will choose your fate."  
  
"What is that supposed to mean?" Buffy was not looking happy.  
  
"If she accepts our proposal, then we shall see her learn discipline and control. If she  
refuses it, then she has maade her choice and it will not be offered again. We will soon have other  
concerns than the fate of one foolish child."  
  
"So you'd throw her to the wolves..." Buffy rose from her chair.   
  
"Wait...no...she's right."  
  
They turned to Willow.  
  
"I...I spent the last few weeks curled up in a crypt, afraid to go out. Afraid to do anything  
that might lead to my using magic. I...I just can't do that anymore. I can't just quit, and if magics  
always gonna be a part of me, then I need help. To control it, to control me, and if they can help  
me then I have to let them. I think." Willow glanced at Giles. Xander said that I'd be working  
with a Watcher. He said Tara, but I want Spike."  
  
"Impossible," snapped Meribeth. "Out of the question."  
  
"Spike!" Buffy was astonishe.  
  
"Pet..." Spike was stunned. "I'm a Vampire, one of the things they fight. They'd never  
accept me."  
  
"Not officially, but you could be like Goles was when Wesley was Buffy's atcher."  
  
Xander was relieved that he didnt have to worry about how he was going to suggest that.  
  
"This is so wrong on so many levels in so manu\y ways..." Buffy rn out of words but the  
slack was soon taken up.  
  
"Actually it's righter than you think." Every eye turned to Xander, who chose now to  
jump into the conversation.   
  
"What," sputtered Buffy. "But he's evil, big bad, trid to kill us remember."  
  
"Oh I remember all that, and he is evil only not so much anymore. So who'd be better  
than him to tell if sh's edging closer to the line. Besides, she trusts him. He could do the regular  
watching stuff whilw Tara does the official watching stuff, and they do the magic stuff."  
  
"Impossible," Meribeth repeated, though it was doubfull that any one was paying  
attention. "The Coucil has no place in this."  
  
"Unfortunately they have chosen to find a place." Giles shifted his eye between Serena  
and Meribeth. "It would be hard to keep them out."  
  
Meribeth glared at Giles, and opened her mouth to rel\ply but was cut off.  
  
"Normlly I would agree with my second," said Serena. "But these are not normal times.   
Watchers will you hear my proposal?"  
  
"That is what we're here for," Giles sighed and polished his glasses.  
  
"What I propose is the the Watchers, the ones in this room, plus Tara, if she will take the  
position, work together, but we work with no one else until we see that we can work together.   
Willow will be apprenticed to Meribeth, who will see to it that she learns what she needs to learn.   
Meribeth will consult with her Watcher, or Watchers, as the case might be, and will accept  
suggestions and directions if there are good and compelling reasons to do so. In return her  
Watchers will consult with Meribeth, and will accept her suggestions and directions if there are  
good and compelling reasons to do so."  
  
"Foolishness," snapped Meribeth. "An impossible task made worse. Both for me and for  
the girl. She will have to satisfy two where it will be hard to satisfy one and what satisfies one  
may not satisfy the other."  
  
"That may be true, but I think there will be enough common ground for it to work more  
often than not, and when it does not, then she will have to struggle all the harder. She will also  
have to remember that she is here of her own will and we do not compel, or decide her fate. She  
will do this of her own choice or not at all."  
  
Serena moved to stand in front of Meribeth.  
  
"Is the proposal and terms acceptable to you? Do you have anything which you might  
add?"  
  
"Probation. I cannot be expected to do this If I do not have her agreement on these. She  
will not use magic, in thought word or deed, except in gravest need, unless she is in the presence  
of one of us, or her Watchers, and they fully understand what she is doing and why she is doing it,  
and, and how she is doing it, and have given their permission. She will obey all direction given to  
her by me or her Watcher unless there be good and compelling reason for her disobedience."  
  
"Accepted." Serena moved to stand in front of Giles.   
  
"Is the proposal and terms acceptable to you? Do you have anything which you might  
add?""  
  
"They are acceptabe."  
  
The process was repeated with Spike, who accepted for himself and Willow's official  
Watcher, who ever that might be. At that point Tara jumped in and accepted the position, much  
to Spike's obvious relief. Finally Serena approached Willow.  
  
"Is the proposal and terms acceptable to you, as well as the additions made by your  
Mistress and Watchers acceptabe to you?"  
  
Willow looked frightened. "Yes."  
  
"Do you hold yourself in obedience to them?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
Serena arched an eyebrow, expecting more.  
  
"I hold myself in obedience to the terms of the proposal and to the additions made by my  
Mistress and my Watchers."  
  
"So Mote It Be." 


	9. Willow and Buffy have a bonding moment

MESSAGE FORUM : Chatter  
POSTER : Ratboy  
SUBJECT : Weatherby Park  
MESSAGE : Hey, went past there last nght, cops crawling all over the place.   
Anyone know what happened?  
  
MESSAGE FORUM : Chatter  
POSTER : Sysop-X  
SUBJECT : Weatherby Park  
MESSAGE: Saw them flashing by me last night, couple ambulances too.   
No ideas here. Anyone?  
  
MESSAGE FORUM : Chatter  
POSTER : Scop  
SUBJECT : Weatherby Park  
MESSAGE : You got me. Snuck past the line this AM blood all over the place.   
I'm thinking sacrifice. Messy one too.  
  
MESSAGE FORUM : Chatter  
POSTER : Sysop-X  
SUBJECT : Weatherby Park  
MESSAGE : Hey Scop, got any juicy details you could share?  
  
MESSAGE FORUM : Chatter  
POSTER : Ambulance Chaser  
SUBJECT : Weatherby Park  
MESSAGE : Shouldn't tell you this, but I had a good close up. Dunno what  
Happened but the poor guy was alive and felt every bit of it.  
  
MESSAGE FORUM : Chatter  
POSTER : Sysop-X  
SUBJECT : Weatherby Park  
MESSAGE : That's harsh man. Anything else you shouldn't tell us?"  
  
MESSAGE FORUM : Chatter  
POSTER : Ambulance Chaser  
SUBJECT : Weatherby Park  
MESSAGE : In for a dime in for a dollar.  
Poor guy had his belly slit open then some one reached in and   
Pulled his heart out.  
  
MESSAGE FORUM : Chatter  
POSTER : Ucstudent  
SUBJECT : Weatherby Park  
MESSAGE : EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWW  
  
  
Willow sensed a shadow, and glanced up to see Buffy standing over her. Not wearing her  
friendly face. Buffy glanced at the print outs she was reading. "What're those," she demanded.  
  
"Messages from the Watcher's Web." Willow set her face and returned Buffy's look.   
"You got something to say say it."  
  
"Yes I got something to say. You betrayed us. You went off the deep end. We trusted  
you Will, and you used magic on us."  
  
"How many times do I have to apologize for that?" Willow stood up and glared at her  
friend. "There's only so many apologies I can make before it becomes useless to continue. You  
want to keep throwing it in my face for the rest of my life, fine, you keep doing that. I messed up,  
fine, we both know that. But I'm gonna move on with or without you."  
  
"I can't trust you, not completely, like I used to."  
  
"Did you Buffy?" Willow had finally had enough. "Did you Buffy? Did you ever trust  
me completely?"  
  
"I trusted you with my life."  
  
"But not with Dawn's. Not when it counted. Then you turned to a vampire."  
  
"But, Spike was the only one who could..."  
  
"You asked him to protect Dawn," Willow pushed onward. "You didn't ask us, any of us.   
You told us that you'd kill anyone who tried to kill her."  
  
"Hey you're not twisting this on me. I didn't mess up. I didn't kill anyone."  
  
"Jenny Calendar? If you'd stopped Angelus like you were supposed to she'd still be  
here." Willow couldn't believe the words coming out of her mouth, but some how she couldn't  
make herself stop. "You talk about trusting me but its okay not to when its something you want."  
  
Buffy moved for Willow but was flung back by a small explosion that burts between the  
two. Her eyes grew wide. "You...you..."  
  
"She didn't, I did." Christina stalked into the room until she stood in between the two.   
"Some of us have to study and I'm trying to haelp Dawn with her homework. Besides you're  
scaring the customers away and Anya's getting edgy. Dunno about you but that girl's packing  
some power and if its all the same to you, I'd like to keep her somewhat pacified. If you know  
what I mean."  
  
Christina's eyes moved from one to another.  
  
"Now you too gonna play nice. Cause there's two corners here and if you need some time  
out I'll be glad to see you get some."   
  
"Now look," Buffy got to her feet. "You can't..."  
  
"She won't have to." All three turned to see Serina and Meribeth standing in the hall,  
with an irate looking Giles looking over their shoulders. "Your arguement may have merit but it  
gets you, and us, nowhere." It was Meribeth who was speaking. "It is also disturbing our  
meeting. Willow," her voice becaome sterner if at all possible. "You may go and sit in that  
corner. I have no authority over the Slayer. If I did she'd be in the other."  
  
Willow's mouth gaped open, but saw the look on Meribeth's face. With a heated look at  
an equally stunned Buffy, she sat on the chair indicated and crossed her arms.  
  
"Hey," protested Buffy. "You can't treat us like that. We're not children."  
  
"Yet you squabble like them. Uselessly and with no purpose except to hurt each other.   
As I said, I have no authority over you Slayer, so you may do as you wish. But of her I expect  
better." She glanced pointedly at the two of them. "I expect to hear no other word out of her,  
not spoken in a civil tongue."  
  
Buffy stared as the three of them left, followed shortly by a smirking Christina. She  
glanced at Willow, who stared at her, eyes smoldering, but with a slight upturn to the sides of her  
mouth. "God, she burst out, I haven't had a time out sine Xander and I were like five. " She  
giggled. "Now I know why I never wanted to repeat the experience.  
  
"Sorry Wills," Buffy shrugged helplessly. "Didn't mean to get you in trouble."  
  
"Yeah weel, we did sound like kids, I suppose." Willow shrugged and leaned back against  
the wall, lifting the fron of her chair. "Least ways, I'll be free of her for the weekends, and  
nights."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
Willow looked at her oddly, then reached down and pulled up her right pant leg. Her  
ankle sported a bracelet with a small black box on the side.  
  
"What's that?" Buffy was confused.  
  
Willow blushed. "I, uh, I confessed to my part in Cchristina's grandmother's death, well  
not the magic part, but the unintentional accidental part, and well they didn't really know what to  
do, but the Judge is in Serena's coven so instead of putting me in jail, they gave me one of these  
to wear. They don't think I'm a real dangerous criminal type, and figure I learned my lesson, and  
I did turn my self in and I did confess, and so they gave me two years for accidental manslaughter.   
I have to be home by ten at night, and I can't leave until nine in the morning, otherwise this thing  
squeals and the cops get a message and I go to jail for real. Oh, and I can't leave the house all  
day weekends and holidays."  
  
Buffy looked sympathetic. "Well I'm glad you're dealing, and uh, if I can do anything to  
help, you know."  
  
"Well, you could get me the print outs I was looking at when you came in." Willow  
pointed at them on the table. "I sort of have to stay here."  
  
"Huh, oh yeah right." Buffy got up to fetch the papers. "What are they anywa?"  
  
"There's a new Bulletin board system up that's all the rage with some of the students on  
campus. Has message forums for all kinds of things to do with witch craft, vampires, and that  
sort of stuff. Its called the Watcher's Web, which is what drew my attention. Anyway, I copied  
some messages that deal with that murder that was on the news today, you know, the one in  
Weatherby park."  
  
Willow passed the papers to Buffy, who rapidly scanned through them. "Who're these  
people, Sysop-X, Scop, Ambulance Chaser."  
  
"Willow shrugged. "Dunno, they're not real names, so unless..."  
  
"You mean you haven't hacked into this yet? You're slipping girl."  
  
Willow blushed. "This isn't like the web. You gotta phone it up directly, and you only  
get so much time before you get logged off. And its real slow." 


End file.
